How to win at weight-loss

Start your weight-loss journey with DL dietitian and diabetes educator Dr Kate Marsh’s tips

While food choices clearly play a key role in weight loss, they aren’t the only thing that matters. Regardless of the type of eating plan you choose to follow, there are a number of other factors that can impact your ability to lose weight. Addressing these, alongside a healthy eating plan, will give you the best chance of achieving long-term weight-loss success.

So, what are these factors?

1 Perfect your portion sizes

Even if you follow a healthy eating plan, if you eat more than you need to, it will be difficult to manage your weight. Yet the increasing portion sizes of packaged foods, fast foods and restaurant meals, alongside bigger bowls, plates and glasses, makes it easy to eat more than we need.

Research has shown if we are served larger portions we will eat them without feeling any fuller or reducing our subsequent food intake. In fact, a 2016 review, combining the findings of 56 studies on the effect of smaller plates on food consumption, found halving our plate size leads to an average 30 per cent reduction in the amount we eat, particularly if we are serving ourselves. On the other hand, if we double our plate size, the amount we serve and eat increases by about 40 per cent.

Consistent with these findings, a study of 130 overweight people with type 2 found that compared with those who only received dietary education, those who were also given a commercially available portion control plate and bowl to use, lost significantly more weight after six months. And a study of 42 overweight Korean women with type 2 found that providing a small rice bowl led to a greater reduction in energy intake and weight compared with women given a larger bowl, although both groups were given the same guidelines for reducing their food intake.

Your action plan: Use smaller plates, bowls and cups. For packaged foods, choose smaller serving sizes. And, when eating out, choose entree-size meals or stop eating when you are satisfied, rather than feeling the need to clear your plate.

2 Be a mindful eater

Getting portion sizes right comes back to eating mindfully. This means being able to distinguish true physical hunger from the desire to eat, and learning to eat according to appetite rather than for other reasons such as habit or emotional eating. Studies show that eating while involved in other activities, such as watching

TV or driving, can lead to overeating, without satisfying your appetite as well as when you are focused only on your meal. Putting all food (including snacks) on a plate or in a bowl, rather than eating out of packets or while on the run, is also important.

Your action plan: Consider your appetite before and during meals. Don’t wait until you are starving to eat, or you are likely to eat too much, but you should be hungry when you sit down for a meal. It’s time to stop when you feel satisfied, but not full. Take time to sit at the table and enjoy meals, preferably in the company of others. ➤

3 Move more

While the saying ‘you can’t outrun a bad diet’ is true, exercise still plays an important role in weight management, alongside the right eating plan and the other habits outlined here. To lose weight you need to use up more energy than you take in each day, and it’s much easier to do this by working on both sides of the equation, rather than using diet or exercise alone. What’s more, exercise not only burns kilojoules, it also helps to build muscle, which in turn increases your metabolism.

And it helps to improve sleep and manage stress. Research has further shown that regular exercise can help to keep weight off once you’ve lost it.

Your action: Aim to exercise for at least 30 minutes most days, incorporate more incidental activity where possible (such as taking the stairs rather than the lift or walking short distances rather than driving) and break up sitting time regularly throughout the day.

4 Optimise your sleep

Getting enough sleep is important for health (including blood glucose and insulin levels) and weight. Lack of sleep can impact hormones that affect appetite and weight, with studies showing increased hunger in those who don’t get enough sleep. A recent review of research found the lowest risk of being overweight in those who slept 7-8 hours per night and almost a 10 per cent increased risk of obesity for each 1-hour decrease in sleep below 7 hours.

Your action plan: Make sleep a priority and aim for 7-8 hours of good-quality sleep a night. Getting some exercise and sunlight earlier in the day, and avoiding screens and bright lights at night, helps.

5 Manage stress levels

High levels of stress can worsen insulin resistance and blood glucose levels and lead to weight gain. Stress can also be a trigger for emotional (non-hungry) eating and, when you are tired, stressed and rundown, it can be hard to get motivated to make the lifestyle changes that will help you to lose weight.

Your action plan:

Take steps to reduce your stress levels and find ways to manage stress, including scheduling time for rest and relaxation. This could mean making time for activities you find enjoyable and relaxing, taking up meditation or yoga, or using a guided relaxation program at home. If these don’t help, consider getting some professional help from a psychologist or counsellor who can assist with strategies to help you cope with stress.

Reduce stress by making time for relaxation